THE THURSFORD CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR

The Thursford Christmas Spectacular is the biggest and most exciting Christmas show of all time in Britain. Come and experience the popular blend of Christmas entertainment, with dazzling dancers, beautiful costumes, Christmas songs, carols and outstanding music and singing from the cast of over one hundred.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Sunday We head directly to Thursford, where we take our seats for the fabulous Christmas Spectacular – This Norfolk Show is the largest Christmas production in England and is a celebration of Christmas with choirs, carols, and the best organs including the mighty Wurlitzer playing. After the show, we continue to our hotel in time for dinner and our overnight stay.

Monday Breakfast at hotel. Today we have a brief guided tour of Norwich as it prepares for the festive season. Free time to visit the cathedral, cobbled Elm Hill, or just enjoy some retail therapy as you search for that elusive Christmas present. We return home in the afternoon.

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Luxury Traveller Coach with ‘First Class’ Seating & Legroom or Club Class Extra Legroom Coach as itemised

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ Entrance Ticket to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular

✓ 1 nights half board

✓ Guided Tour of Norwich

Not Included: All lunches.

This family-owned hotel (formerly known as the Burlington Palm Hotel) stands in a quiet location on Great Yarmouth’s seafront directly overlooking the sea. Restaurant, 2 bars, heated indoor swimming pool. Mobility Grade: 2. Hotel: The hotel originally was 3 houses that have been sympathetically joined together over the years. Rooms do vary in size and there are unavoidable steps to some floors, although the hotel has a small lift. Locality: The hotel commands a level location. This hotel may not be suitable for any customers with extreme mobility issues. Lots of Sea View Rooms within our allocation!

Supplements

Single Room: Nil (Within Allocation) | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

LANTERNS AT LONGLEAT Wells & Bath Christmas Markets

CHRISTMAS AT KEW GARDENS & Blenheim Palace

On this short winter break we visit the stunning Festival of Light at Longleat as well as Bristol Christmas Market. Each year, Longleat’s spectacular Festival of Light illuminates the park into a glowing winter wonderland. With a different theme each year, expect to be astonished at the wonderful characters and magnificent scenery.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Club Class Extra Legroom Coach

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights dinner, bed & breakfast

✓ Entrance to ‘Lanterns at Longleat’ Not Included: All lunches.

Wednesday We head for Bath where we are free to explore the Christmas Market. Traditional wooden chalet stalls showcase original hand-crafted gifts, decorations, cards, toys and Christmas food and drink. There are lots of opportunities for lunch as you explore the historic city before we continue to our hotel for our 2-night stay. Thursday A full day at Longleat, our ticket includes a drive through the Safari Park, where we travel through the Deer Park, Wolf Wood, enjoy Monkey Mayhem, Tiger Territory and Lion Country. We then enjoy the wonderful Festival of Light, a must-see fiesta of magnificent Chinese lanterns, beaming with colour and fascinating structures. Friday After a full English breakfast we have the morning to explore the lovely City of Wells (often described as the smallest City in England), with its historic centre, the magnificent cathedral, and the unique moated Bishop’s Palace. We head home to the Midlands in the afternoon.

Best Western Leigh Park, Bradford-on-Avon HHH

This wonderful Grade II listed building is a Georgian Country House retreat, set in 5 acres of landscaped grounds within a walled garden and the hotel’s own vineyards overlooking the picturesque Wiltshire Downs on the outskirts of Bradford-on-Avon. Restaurant, bar/lounge.

Mobility Grade: 2. The locality is reasonably level. 2 steps to main entrance with isolated stairs and steps throughout the hotel. No lift but rooms are mainly on ground & first floor only. A few rooms may be allocated in the adjacent Coach House, a few steps from the main building.

Supplements

Single Room: £70 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

Take an enchanting journey into a glittering wonderland with Christmas at Kew, the popular after-dark Christmas event that offers a fantastic display of more than 60,000 lights set around the garden. Witness glittering trees dripping with giant crystals, and colour-changing reeds rising high into the night sky before passing through a Tunnel of Lights animated by 63,000 pixels that create festive patterns and pictures.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Luxury Traveller Coach with ‘First Class’ Seating & Legroom

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2-course Hot Lunch with tea/coffee

✓ 1 nights bed & breakfast

✓ Entrance to the ‘Christmas at Kew’ evening event

✓ Entrance to Blenheim Palace

Not Included: Evening Dinner.

Friday Departing Henley we arrive in Windsor for free time, before arriving at our hotel around 1.00pm for a 2-course hot lunch. Relax in the hotel before departing at 4.00pm for our timed entrance into Kew Gardens at 4.40pm. Discover an enchanting world festooned with seasonal cheer as we wander beneath unique tree canopies drenched in Christmas colour.

NB: The Trail is approximately 1 mile in length on pathways. There are limited places to sit during the trail. Light refreshments are available to purchase at Kew Gardens. Saturday Departing after breakfast we journey north to Blenheim Palace where the State Rooms are seasonally decorated and lavishly themed. We have plenty of time to explore the palace & grounds with time to purchase lunch. Also, you can soak up the atmosphere at the Christmas Market in the Great Court. Within wooden chalets, the market will be filled with a variety of hand-picked irresistible gifts, unique works and tempting treats. We return home during the early evening.

The Delta Marriott Heathrow/Slough Windsor is a brilliant base. For this tour. All bedrooms are air-conditioned with private facilities, TV, telephone, hairdryer, iron and hospitality tray. There is a 24-hour reception, restaurant, coffee lounge and cocktail bar. Leisure centre featuring an indoor pool and gymnasium. Passenger lifts serve all floors. Supplements

BIG BAND FESTIVE NIGHT & River Trent Christmas Lunch Cruise

Christmas At Chatsworth

Trentham Gardens & Blists Hill

Victorian Town

Date & Price Sun 3 – Mon 4 December 2023 1 Night £195

After dinner get ready for a swinging Christmas with Mike James his Orchestra and singers. Come dance, sing, or just listen as Mike and his team celebrate a Christmas party with all your favourite festive tunes. This special night will feature all the classic songs of Christmas made famous by such people as Frank Sinatra, Michael Bublé and Nat King Cole. We might even have something by Wham and Slade and of course Bing Crosby’s White Christmas. A great night to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Your

Holiday Itinerary

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Club Class Extra Legroom Coach

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 1-night’s dinner, bed & breakfast

(Dinner is a set 3-course meal with tea/coffee and dinner tables are round tables of 10’s)

✓ Big Band Festive Night Concert

✓ Trent River Cruise & 2-course Festive Lunch

Not Included: All lunches.

Sunday Get into the Christmas spirit as we visit Nottingham’s traditional Christmas Market – Discover hand-crafted goods and seasonal treats, all in the magnificent setting of Nottingham’s Market Square with the outdoor ice rink nearby. In the afternoon we continue to our hotel in time for dinner followed by an evening of live entertainment. The Mike James Orchestra and Singers is a vibrant, fully professional big band consisting of powerful signature brass section, whip tight rhythm and talented soloists and vocalists all led by the earthy charm and boyish enthusiasm of Mike James himself, one of Britain’s best and most enduring band leaders. Monday We include a leisurely 2½ Hour Trent River Cruise taking in the views of Nottingham between Holme Pierrepoint and Wilford Church. We include a sumptuous 2-course festive turkey meal with all the trimmings with tea/coffee. Informative live commentary and a companion cruise map are also included so that you can follow your journey and pick out the historical and local points of interest.

EMCC & the Orchard Hotel, Nottingham

A modern eco-friendly hotel located in the heart of 330 acres of University Park. Contemporary bedrooms, finished to a superior standard. Bramley’s Restaurant & Bar. Lift to all floors.

Supplements

Double for Sole Use: £25 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

Tour Departs: 10.00am Returns By: 4.30pm

Date & Price

Fri 17 – Sun 19 November 2023 2 Nights £319

Where better to start your Christmas celebrations than with a visit to Chatsworth House. The theme, normally announced in September, will entrance and captivate, as you move from room to room, enjoying Chatsworth’s renowned seasonal celebrations and elaborate decorations, trees and twinkling lights. Once you’ve had your fill of the ornate décor and kaleidoscope of colour, why not soak up the Christmas market atmosphere as you browse over 100 stalls offering a wide range of Christmas gifts and decorations –a great opportunity to find perfect presents for all the family. To enhance your weekend enjoyment, we also include visits to Trentham Gardens and the Blists Hill Victorian Town at Ironbridge.

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Luxury Traveller Coach with ‘First Class’ Seating & Legroom

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights half board

✓ Timed entrance to ‘Christmas at Chatsworth’

✓ V&A Wedgwood Collection & a visit to the Decorating Studio

✓ Entrance to Trentham Gardens

✓ Entrance to Blists Hill Victorian Town

Not Included: All lunches.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Friday A morning departure to Chatsworth House for our timed entrance at 12.00 noon, where after visiting the magnificent house, you can soak up the atmosphere of the Christmas Market. Browse the many stalls offering a wide range of Christmas gifts and decorations. Take a break from the shopping and enjoy a mulled wine, German beer or sample some delicious food to get you in the festive spirit. We continue over the Staffordshire Peaks to our hotel at Stoke-on-Trent where we settle down for our evening meal and our 2-night stay.

Saturday A morning call to the World of Wedgewood Including a visit to the Decorating Studio followed by an afternoon trip to the Trentham Estate – including Trentham Gardens and Trentham Shopping Village. We return to our hotel in the afternoon for dinner and our final night’s stay.

Sunday Today we spend the day at Blists Hill Museum, Shropshire where you can take a step back in time to where traditional life and industry sat side by side at the dawn of the modern age. Visit Victorian shops and cottages, taste authentic food & sweets or join craftspeople demonstrating their trades in this fantastic, recreated working town. Ride old fashioned fairground rides, the coconut shy or Victorian Photographic Studio. Enjoy traditional fish and chips or a bag or two of 19th century sweets, before returning home in the late afternoon.

Hilton Garden Inn, Stoke-on-Trent HHH

The Hilton Garden Inn Stoke-on-Trent opened in October 2020 and is located in the city centre close to the Cultural Quarter, shops, galleries and theatres. All 140 bedrooms have air-conditioning, fridge, tea and coffee-making facility, hairdryer, safe and digital television. Facilities include restaurant, bar lounge.

Supplements

Double for Sole Use: £52 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All

FESTIVE CHATSWORTH & Bakewell

Dining With Distinction On The East Lancs Railway

Leighton Hall & Manchester Christmas Markets

Discover the magic of Christmas as we visit two of Derbyshire’s most notable stately homes. Chatsworth is the magnificent Derbyshire home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire and we will see the house all dressed up for the Christmas season. Decorated with foliage, lights and candles, as well as scenes to evoke the spirit of Christmas, the house is a superb Peak District gem. Meanwhile a sparkly welcome awaits you inside and out at Hardwick Hall where the Hall will be festooned with a wealth of greenery, from trees to wreaths and garlands, all collected from the gardens and parkland.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Luxury Traveller Coach with ‘First Class’ Seating & Legroom

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights half board

✓ Entrance to Hardwick Hall (NT)

✓ Entrance to ‘Christmas at Chatsworth’

✓ Free Entrance to the National Memorial Arboretum

Not Included: All lunches.

Friday Enjoy a great day out at Hardwick Hall (NT). Explore the first and ground floors of the Hall and see it sparkle with festive decorations. The Gardens will be decorated with natural willow and evergreen foliage, the Stables shop has gifts for all the family and indulge in a festive treat in the Great Barn Restaurant. We continue to our hotel for dinner and our 2-night stay.

Saturday This morning we make our way to Bakewell where we have time to look around the town and enjoy a coffee break, perhaps with a slice of Bakewell Tart from the Original Pudding Shop. We leave around midday for Chatsworth House, delightfully decorated for Christmas, where we have chance to obtain lunch before exploring the house, with opportunity to visit the shop which will be well stocked with seasonal gifts. Evening dinner at our hotel.

Sunday After breakfast we visit the National Memorial Arboretum – An amazing place of remembrance designed to help people reflect, celebrate lives lived and commemorate lives lost in service. Set in 150 acres of beautiful woodland and gardens, it’s an uplifting place that’s full of life and meaning. Particularly stunning is the Armed Forces Memorial which takes its inspiration from landscapes of prehistoric Britain and ancient Rome. There is a land train available for the less mobile (payable individually), a gift shop and restaurant. We return home in the afternoon.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Luxury Traveller Coach with ‘First Class’ Seating & Legroom

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights half board

✓ Dining with Distinction Luncheon & Train Ride on the East Lancs Railway

A commanding 17th century house built to a Flemish design with high, beamed ceilings and staircases. Beautiful oak panelled reception. Restaurant, lounge, bar. Leisure facilities include heated swimming pool, spa & sauna. The locality and hotel are generally level with isolated steps throughout. Ground floor rooms available. Lift.

Supplements

Double for Sole Use: £40 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

Tour Departs: 10.00am

✓ Guided Tour of Leighton Hall

✓ Lunch Vouchers to the value of £9.50pp

Not Included: Lunches on Thu & Fri.

Wednesday We head north to the East Lancs Railway, where we step on board one of the traditional, Pullman-style carriages – just like those on the Orient Express – and we’ll transport you back to when dining by train was the height of luxury. As you steam through the charming Lancashire countryside soaking up the picturesque panoramas, we’ll treat you to an indulgent meal and an experience you will never forget. In the afternoon we continue to our hotel for dinner and our 2-night stay.

Thursday Join us today as we head to Leighton Hall in Carnforth. On arrival you will be treated to tea or coffee and mince pies in front of an open fire and will then be given a guided tour of the home of the famous Gillow furniture making family. Of course, the house will be dressed for Christmas and will give guests a glimpse of nostalgic Christmases gone by in the wonderful estate. Then, it is a short journey to Bay View Garden Centre, for free time in their Christmas Shop, plant area and restaurant, with stunning views over Morecambe Bay. We also include a £9.50 per person lunch voucher for this visit too.

Friday Manchester’s award-winning Christmas Markets return this winter offering mouth-watering international food, drinks and delicately crafted Yuletide gifts in the heart of this buzzing city.

The Last Drop Village Hotel & Spa is a collection of 17th century farmhouses with breathtaking views of the West Pennine Moors. The hotel offers ground floor bedrooms but please note that the hotel is designed in a village layout with cobbled floors and no lift in the main hotel. There is a traditional restaurant that serves classic British cuisine and an extensive wine list. The Courtyard Bar offers a range of cocktails, light snacks and beverages. The Village Spa offers a range of luxury treatments. Spa facilities include a sauna, steam room and hydro pool, and there is also a modern gym and swimming pool. The hotel’s external wide-open spaces and extensive ground floor areas are ideal for a short getaway.

Supplements

Double for Sole Use: £60 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

YORK ST NICHOLAS FAYRE & Castle Howard

A TASTE OF CHRISTMAS Around Harrogate

We visit one of the most popular Christmas markets in the UK. Wooden huts and pretty lights will line Parliament Street with a traditional carousel in St Sampson’s Square. Stall holders, dressed in Dickensian costume, will be offering a huge array of gifts including jewellery, decorations ceramics, as well as seasonal food and drinks.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Monday Our day begins with a visit to Holmfirth Vineyard where we tour the vineyard learning about the grapes before we enjoy a tasting of 3 English wines – a red, rose and white. We continue to the village of Holmfirth, home of ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ before arriving at our hotel in time for dinner and our 2-night stay.

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Club Class Extra Legroom Coach

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights dinner, bed & breakfast

✓ Tour & Tasting at Holmfirth Vineyard

✓ Entrance to Castle Howard

Not Included: All lunches.

Tuesday Today we visit York St Nicholas Fayre – one of the most popular Christmas Markets in the UK with the city coming alive with bustling stalls, carol singers and buskers and just at the right time to get you in the Festive Spirit. Wednesday After breakfast we set out to Castle Howard. Home to the Howard family for over 300 years, Castle Howard is one of England’s grandest Baroque mansions. It’s a joy to visit at this time of the year with rooms lit by roaring fires and candlelight. See the dramatic Castle-like rooms transformed with giant Christmas trees, traditional decorations and brilliant displays chosen by the Howard family. Homeward bound in the late afternoon.

Enjoy the true taste of a Yorkshire Christmas when you visit Harrogate this festival season. From, wonderful historic houses and magical markets to enchanted experiences there’s so much to discover in North Yorkshire this winter.

Your Holiday Itinerary

Friday We drive to Harewood House where we can explore the beautifully decorated house and grounds and enjoy opportunities for Christmas shopping and seasonal food. We continue to our hotel for dinner and our 2-night stay.

Saturday A leisurely morning to discover Harrogate with its handsome historic buildings and broad tree-lined boulevards. Harrogate is widely known for its fine tea rooms, restaurants and unique shops all based in a lovely setting. Next, we travel to RHS Harlow Carr to enjoy the winter illuminations. Follow the illuminated trail around the magnificent trees and shrubs as dusk falls. See the lake, Winter Walk, Streamside and Doric columns as you’ve never seen them before.

Your Great Break Includes

✓ One Boarding Point here at Henley-in-Arden

✓ Club Class Extra Legroom Coach

✓ Our Own Courier Service

✓ 2 nights dinner, bed & breakfast

✓ Entrances to Harewood House & Harlow Carr Illuminations

Not Included: All other meals.

The Burn Hall Hotel is located about 10 miles north of York and is a Victorian mansion house set amidst eight acres of stunning parkland within the beautiful North Yorkshire countryside. Restaurant & 2 bars. There is a lift in the hotel.

Supplements

Double for Sole Use: £40 | Holiday Insurance: £23

(All prices are per person & are for the entire tour)

Sunday After breakfast we visit Skipton’s famous Christmas Market. Here we will discover the market, great food stalls and a full range of entertainment throughout the day, both in the main High Street Arena and at locations across the Town –The whole of Skipton truly has a real Christmassy feel!

The impressive 300 years old Crown Hotel stands in Harrogate’s Montpellier Quarter just a few minutes’ walk from the major attractions, including the picturesque town centre with its fascinating antique shops, richly historic Victorian arcades, and interesting boutique shops. All bedrooms are en-suite and have television, radio, telephone, 24-hour room service, hairdryer and tea/coffee making facilities. Hotel has a lift. Supplements Single per person & are for the entire tour)

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